AS Topic 1 Flashcards
(132 cards)
2 functions of water
- Water is a solvent, substances dissolve in it, and most biological reactions take place in a solution
- Water transports substances, some can be transported more easily if they are dissolved in a solvent, so water being a liquid and solvent means it can easily transport all sorts of materials e.g. glucose and oxygen around plants and animals
What and how many of these atoms do water molecules consist of
A molecule of water is: one atom of oxygen joined to two atoms of hydrogen by shared electrons
Describe the polarity of water
Water is a polar molecule due to unevenly distributed negative charge
Because the shared negative hydrogen electrons are pulled towards the oxygen atom, the other side of each hydrogen atom is left with a slight positive charge
The unshared negative electrons on the oxygen atom give it a slight negative charge
This makes water a dipolar molecule - it has partial negative charge on one side and a partial positive charge on the other
Describe the hydrogen bonding in water
The slightly negatively charged oxygen atoms attract the slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms of other water molecules
This attraction is called hydrogen bonding and gives water some of its useful properties e.g. liquid at room temperature
Hydrogen bonding is weak but as there are so many bonds it takes a lot of energy to break these
Properties of water - cohesion
Cohesion is the attraction between molecules of the same type (e.g. two water molecules)
Water molecules are very cohesive (tend to stick together because they’re dipolar
This helps water flow, making it great for transporting substances
Properties of water - good solvent
Many substances in biological reactions are ionic
Made from one positively charged atom/molecule and one negatively charged atom/molecule (e.g. salt - positive sodium ion and negative chloride ion)
Because water is dipolar the slightly positive end of a water molecule will be attracted to the negative ion and vice versa
Ions will get totally surrounded by water molecules - they will dissolve
Water’s dipole nature makes it useful as a solvent in living organisms e.g. in humans, important ions can dissolve in blood and then be transported around the body
Other properties of water
1 .Liquid at room temperature
Water is polar, allowing it to form hydrogen bonds which allow water to remain liquid at room temperature, creates cohesion and adhesion enabling effective transport
- Low density as a solid
Habitat for organisms
Insulates water below, another habitat - High surface tension
- Good solvent
- High specific heat capacity
High as large amount of energy required to break hydrogen bonds, water warms up and cools down slow
Useful for organism, help them avoid rapid changes in internal temperature even if surroundings vary considerably
Bodies of water which aquatic organisms live do not change temperature rapidly
When heating, the heat energy goes towards weakening/breaking bonds rather than increasing kinetic energy of water molecules - High latent heat of vaporisation
Functions of a heart
which side pumps what blood
It pumps blood around the body to deliver oxygen and glucose to cells for aerobic respiration
It removes waste such as carbon dioxide and urea
The right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs
The left side pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body
Functions of semi lumnar valves
The semilunar valves permit blood to flow into the arteries from the ventricles and prevent backflow of blood
Valves in the heart open when the pressure of blood behind them is greater than the pressure of blood in front of them
Valves in the heart close when the pressure of blood in front of them is greater than the pressure of blood behind them
Label features of the heart
Vena cava –> right atrium –> AV valve –> right ventricle –> SL valve –> pulmonary artery –> lungs –> pulmonary vein –> left atrium –> AV valve –> left ventricle –> SL valve –> aorta –> body
Functions of chordae tendanae
The chordae tendineae are made of non-elastic tissue (do not stretch) and attach the valves to the ventricle walls (via papillary muscles) and prevent AV valves of the heart from movement and from inverting by holding flaps tightly in place
Functions of the papillary muscle
The papillary muscles pull the chordae tendineae taut and prevents valves from opening when ventricles contract, muscles contract and relax which is simultaneous ot the pulls and release on the the strings
Functions of AV valves
The atrioventricular valves open during diastole and close during systole, directing blood through the semilunar valves to the body
Function of the myocardium
The myocardium contains cardiac cells that expand and contract in response to electrical impulses from the nervous system
Function of septum
The interventricular septum stops oxygenated and deoxygenated blood mixing
Function of SA node
The SA node contains special cells which generate electrical impulses which initiate heartbeat and cause atria to contract
Function of AV node
The AV node detects impulses from the SA node and causes ventricles to contract
Function of coronary arteries
Coronary arteries supply oxygen and glucose to the heart for muscle contraction
The hearts adaptations
- The muscular wall of the left ventricle is much thicker than that of the right ventricle because the left ventricle has to pump blood a further distance to the body whilst the right only pumps blood to the lungs which is a shorter distance
- The ventricles have thicker walls than the atria because they have to push blood out of the heart whereas the atria have to push blood a short distance to the ventricles
- The AV valves link the atria to the ventricles and stop blood flowing back into the atria when the ventricles contract
- Cords attach the AV valves to the ventricles to stop them being forced up the atria when ventricles contract - The semilunar valves link the ventricles to the aorta and pulmonary artery, and stop blood flowing back into the heart after the ventricles contract
What is the difference between a smaller and larger organism
As an organism gets bigger and more multicellular they cannot rely on simple diffusion due to a much smaller SA/V ratio
Therefore you need a specialised exchange system to allow for a rapid rate of diffusion
What is mass transport
Mass transport is the bulk movement of gases or liquids in one direction, usually via a system of vessels or tubes
Function of mass transport
- Bring substances quickly from one exchange site to another
- Maintain diffusion gradients at exchange sites and between cells and their fluid surroundings
- Ensure effective cell activity by supplying reactants and moving waste products
Function of a mass transport system
A mass transport system moves raw materials (e.g. glucose and oxygen) from specialised exchange organs (e.g. lungs and digestive system) to body cells and removes metabolic waste (e.g. carbon dioxide)
In mammals the mass transport system is the circulatory system
How do substances move in a mass transport system
These substances move by flow mass
All of the substances in a liquid move together in one direction as a result of differences in pressure (pressure gradient)
Mass flow of a liquid maintains a steep concentration gradient